Bombay House Chicken Coconut Kurma

 So this is my version of my favorite meal at the Bombay House. I must admit I haven't tried too many because once I find something I like it is hard to try new things!! Well I have tried SEVERAL chicken coconut kurma recipes and they have all come short in comparison to the chicken coconut kurma at the Bombay House. AND THEN, I finally found the recipe with a few modification of my own to match the ingredients listed on their menu!

Chicken Coconut Kurma

Ingredients:

Chicken Spice Marinade:
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite size pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Mix together and marinade for at least an hour.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne*
2 ripe medium tomatoes, lightly blended (or 1 can diced tomatoes)

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup water + 2 tablespoon cornstarch**
1 teaspoon salt
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon garam marsala

1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

1/4 cup cashews, chopped (optional)

garnish with cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Spray large fry pan with non stick spray or a little bit of oil and brown marinated chicken over medium heat, but do not cook all the way through.
In a large pan add oil, garlic, onions, and ginger and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. Then add the remaining spices (except salt and marsala) and cook for another minute. After that, add the tomatoes and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the yogurt and blend in with a wire whisk. Then add the browned chicken, water cornstarch slurry and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk, garam masala, and golden raisins then simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes fairly thick. Serve over brown jasmine rice and top with cashews and cilantro if using. 

*This is a medium heat level, if you want it milder reduce the cayenne pepper by 1/4 teaspoon or 1/8 teaspoon. 
**The recipe that I adapted it from never thickened like it claimed that it would,  so I added some cornstarch. I might try adding less water next time.

 Did you know coconut milk can help in controlling weight?!
This can be a good news for people who are trying to reduce weight. Coconut milk makes you feel full very quickly because of high concentrations of dietary fiber.

Source: http://www.drgranny.com/2011/05/05/benefits-of-coconut-milk/
Recipe adapted from: favorite family recipes

Healthy Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad

We absolutely love Cafe Rio! My all time favorite is the Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad. Every time we go to Cafe Rio I tell myself to branch out and try something else on their menu, but I can never bring myself to do it. I love the salad tooo much! So my first mission was to recreate my favorite salad at home. I tried SEVERAL Cafe Rio copycats recipes and FINALLY found one that was spot on. Everyone I make it for loves it. My second mission was to recreate it and make it healthier without sacrificing the flavor. Mission accomplished... It was delicious! My husband and I were fighting over the left overs the next day!

 Healthy Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad

Sweet Barbacoa Pork
2 pounds boneless pork roast
  1 can (12 oz) zevia natural diet cola (found at health food stores)
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chilies
3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar (or more if you don't care about the extra calories)

1/4 cup stevia (leave out if you add extra sucanat/brown sugar)

Directions:
  Put pork, 1/2 can of zevia cola, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can zevia cola, chilies, enchilada sauce, sucanat (or brown sugar), and stevia. (You can add more sweetener if you want it sweeter.)

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Healthy Cilantro-Lime Rice:
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 teaspoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  2 cups chicken broth

 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  1 teaspoon stevia

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low about 50 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, stevia and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Black Beans:

 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large ripe tomato, pureed (1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato puree, and salt. Let simmer about 10 minutes.

Healthy Cilantro Ranch Dressing:
1 cup yogurt ranch dressing (found in refrigerator section by produce)
2 tablespoons salsa verde
1/4 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 jalapeno (seeds removed if you don't like it spicy)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in the blender.
(Don't be scared of the yogurt ranch dressing. My husband who swears by Hidden Valley Ranch really liked it!)

Serve with:

Romaine lettuce

Sour cream or Greek yogurt

Guacamole

Cheddar cheese
Cotija cheese, crumbled

Salsa or pico de gallo

Wheat tortillas

Recipe inspired by: Favorite Family Recipes

Jamba Juice Chunky Strawberry Topper

I love, love, love jamba juice. My hubby use to work there when we were dating in high school. Oh how I loved to visit him there!! Too bad they didn't have this one then. This is one of my new favorites there! So much cheaper to make at home!

Jamba Juice's Chuncky Strawberry Topper!

Ingredients:

½ cup of vanilla coconut milk (not canned)* (I used Vanilla Sugar Free So Delicious)

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 ripe frozen banana

1 heaping cup frozen strawberries

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

1/3 cup granola

top with fresh banana slices (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in blender except granola & additional bananas.

After blended stir in granola & top with banana slices.

ENJOY!

* You can also use vanilla soy milk, vanilla almond milk, milk with a dash of vanilla, etc. I know Jamba juice uses soy milk, but I usually don't use soy milk.

Did you know strawberries are well known to fight against the onset of many differet forms of cancer due to the combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents?!

Source: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-strawberries.html